Conduct A Job Interview

Keep a professional tone

There’s nothing wrong with breaking the ice by saying something light that will help put you both at ease, but this isn’t an open mike night at your local comedy club. Chances are, you’re not as funny as you think. (Remember, the employees who laugh at all your jokes are also laughing because you’re the boss.) It’s not that humor is a bad thing in the workplace, but many jokes just aren't kosher and you don’t know your potential employee well enough for that yet — throwing out a religious joke may ruffle feathers if he or she is a devout churchgoer. If you have to add some humor to the interview, say a joke that you’d tell your grandmother. At the same time, we hope we don’t have to remind you to steer clear of curse words. If you stay professional during the interview, it will set the tone for your relationship through the first encounter and into the future if you do decide to hire the applicant. As the saying goes, "You only get once chance to make a good first impression."

Don't interrogate your candidate

We want you to be serious, but you don’t have to pretend you’re Jack Bauer interrogating a terror suspect at CTU. Your goal is to put your interviewee at ease. When this happens, you’ll get the person’s most honest answers, not those that were rehearsed in the mirror the night before. There’s nothing wrong with positively affirming an interviewee’s good answer. If he or she impressed you, feel free to say “Great!” or “That’s good to hear,” and they will be encouraged and speak more openly. If the interview’s going well you don’t need to wear a stone face, keep your features relaxed and remember the rules of active listening.

Be respectful of time

You may want to extend the interview if your subject looks like a dream candidate, and there’s nothing wrong with that. However, if the person’s obviously not going to be a fit in your company, you don’t need to ask a half-dozen follow-up questions when your mind is already made up. Don’t cut the interview short either, unless it’s a horrible one. For the middle-of-the-road subjects, be brief and thank them for their time — don't lead them on with false hope.

conduct with confidence

Conducting a job interview is somewhat like giving a speech. Eyes are on you and you need to deliver. And while in your mind you may feel as though you can just wing it, chances are pretty good you’ll look unprepared if you do. Like preparing for a good speech, make some notes beforehand. Include some questions you need to have answered, and some additional ones to ask if the interview is going well. Don’t be nervous. It’s an uncertain time, but the person across the desk from you might have his or her future riding on this 20-minute encounter. You, on the other hand, have a job and are in a high enough position that you’re interviewing people. Relax and let your true, confident self come through.